My View: Schnucks squandered Hilander’s family feel

Friday

May 9, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Monday morning’s opinion page sent out a quasi-invitation, suggesting — or maybe hoping would be a better way to put it — for a “clean up” crew to come along and fix what Schnucks Markets Inc. has so effectively run into the ground.

What we as consumers have witnessed in the last few years could only be described as one of the most inept and non-caring takeovers of one of the most efficient and well-run family organizations that this town has ever had to pleasure of knowing.

The Castrogiovannis’ history in this area dates back generations. Joseph Castrogiovanni and his wife, Rose, Opened the Sanitary Meat Market in 1919, later naming the store Hilander. The business grew over the years, and four sons joined in the day-to-day operations of what would grow into an incredibly profitable and long-lived grocery store chain that not only nourished the family but nourished the community with its philanthropic work.

I know how the neighbors in and around the last two stores on the chopping block feel. I loved living within walking distance of the store located at the intersection of North Main Street and West Riverside Blvd.

In my opinion, one of the biggest reasons that all of the Hilander Stores were always friendly, extraordinarily clean and stocked with anything most people could ever want or need was because one of the Castrogiovanni family members was in the store on a daily basis.

Their being in the store went beyond just “being” there. The men were always on the floor, taking care of business by listening. Listening to customers is what set their stores apart from any other stores in our area. On more than one occasion my wife or I would look for an item and find that it was not an item of regular stock. Knowing how open the Castrogiovanni men were to a “special request,” we took our needs to the family member present, and the next time we stopped in we would be shown to where the item we had requested could be found — service along with caring.

I do not believe that we as customers have witnessed anything that even approaches the type of care and service we had grown accustomed to with the Castrogiovanni family. I am saddened by the damage Krogers and now Schnucks Markets Inc. has done to the Hilander Food Stores that began operation in 1919 and thrived for almost 80 years.

As the editorial stated, “However, business is business, and those two stores had low sales and were more costly to operate.” Going on it stated, “Perhaps an independent grocer will see an opportunity.”

I say that Schnucks Markets Inc. had the opportunity, the means and the know-how but chose not to use it.

George B. Graham Jr. is a Rockford resident

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